Selling a house is a major undertaking. Where do you begin? First you’ll need to establish a big-picture view of how to prepare it. This ideabook will help you do that, so you can get your home in shape to sell quickly at the best possible price (without breaking your budget).

Why: Taking the time to prepare your home before putting it on the market can help it fetch a higher price and increase buyer interest, making for a quicker sale. Taking a big-picture look at what to do to get your home ready to sell will help ensure that you make the best decisions and stay under budget.

Things to consider: It makes sense to start with the outside of your home, since that is what potential buyers will notice first. Shoot for nice landscaping, a freshly cleaned exterior, a driveway and walking path in good repair, a well-lit porch and an eye-catching front door.

Make a list early on of all of the repairs your home needs, from the tiny (change a lightbulb) to the major (new roof) before deciding what to get done. The fact is that the cost of most repairs and upgrades will not be recouped in the sale price, so focus on taking care of the minor repairs and tackle bigger projects only if you feel you must.

Remove clutter and organize what’s left. Any real estate agent or home stager will tell you that getting rid of clutter and excess personal items is essential to making your home look its best to potential buyers. Less stuff will make your space look larger, which is almost always a positive thing. Overstuffed closets and drawers signal to buyers that there is not enough storage space in the home, while neat and orderly closets help buyers envision living an organized life in your house.

If you need to get a lot of furniture and accessories out of your home while it’s on the market, think about renting a storage unit. The cost could be worth it if it means your house shows better and sells faster (and hopefully for more money).

Painter: A fresh coat of paint indoors and out is a surefire way to make your home stand out.

Stager: A professional home stager can help declutter your home, arrange furniture (sometimes bringing in loaner furniture) and accessories, and make paint and landscaping recommendations to get your home in top shape for a quick and profitable sale.

Landscape designer or gardener: Landscaping consistently makes the list of things that can influence a home sale. If you do not have a green thumb, it could be worth it to invest in pro services from someone who does.

Cost breakdown: Sage advice is to spend as little as possible on your home to prepare it for sale. Small changes and upgrades will give it a boost in perceived value without your having to dip too far into your savings.

Expect to pay $50 to $85 per hour for a handyman and $60 to $100 per hour and up for an electrician.

Home staging consultations (you implement most of the changes) run $150 to $500, but it can cost $2,000 and (way) up for full-service staging and furniture rentals.

Should you decide to rent a storage unit, expect to pay about $100 per month for a 10- by 15-foot unit.

Best time to do this project: The boom time of year for home sales is summer, so it’s a good idea to set late spring or early summer as a goal date to have your home ready to sell. You can start preparing your home to sell anytime, but sooner is always better than later.

If you can, begin preparations the year before you plan to sell to give landscaping time to fill in, and to give yourself ample time to get work done. For instance, you could plant spring bulbs in the fall, take care of interior house repairs in winter and finish up the rest of your projects in spring to ready your home for its first open house in early summer.

Update from my previous comments. Selling a home in one part/climate of the country, such as northeast, and moving to another total opposite part of the country, such as Florida, you might consider selling furnishings with house. Huge mistake I made. Fabrics and colors are lighter here. The buyers wanted to buy our living room and dining room furniture and we were downsizing. Why didn't I sell it. I could kick myself. We paid to move it here and then after renting for a year, didn't need all the furniture. Sold to consignment furniture store. Buyers would've paid more and no shipping. Big mistake. Even moving from a local house to another local house, a lot of sellers sell homes furnished. I like that idea.

I absolutely agree with the previous comments that the listing agent should show the house to any and all potential buyers. After all, they do know the home and should be able to answer any questions from the potential home buyers. However, a 24 hour lead time might cost you the loss of a qualified buyer. It is a pain in the neck to show your home with a short notice, but if you are able and willing, you are in a much better place than most sellers. I often have relocation clients that come in for a day or two, and they are ready to buy, but they often do not 24 hours to wait for an appointment. So if you are serious about selling your house, try to show it when requested by your agent.

Assume that EVERY day might be a showing day and learn to leave the house in "show-ready" condition every morning. You are selling a product when your house is on the market. Many times your potential buyers will be families relocating from another area and may only be in town for 24-48 hours, so be prepared for last-minute showing requests. It's not the REALTOR's fault, it's just the nature of a potential buyer's showing availability. Perhaps they had a plan to a list of certain homes and during the tour they decide on your area of town, then ask to see homes in your area so your home comes up as a potential listing to view. That is not being inconsiderate, it is just the nature of a relocation visit. I had a $1.25 million dollar listing that refused a showing because of not enough notice and the buyer (not represented by me) bought a $1.5 million dollar home the very next afternoon. They were only in town for 2 days visiting relatives and had not expected to look at homes when they found out they were definitely moving to our area, so they called their buyer's agent and specifically requested to see my listing, apologizing for the late notice. Because the house was not ready, my seller refused the showing stating that if they really wanted to see the house, they could have given her more notice or see it on their next visit. We lost that buyer! Remember, if you have a good agent, they do this full time, every day, and they have a wealth of experience for you to pull from. Listen to their advice. They are there to help you.